Fired worker told boss 'I hate my job'

NICOLE PRYOR

Last updated 05:00 20/11/2012

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A worker fired after telling his boss he hated his job failed to prove he was unfairly dismissed.

Jason Rowlay started working for Contract Warehousing Limited in February 2011 and lodged a complaint with the Employment Relations Authority seeking compensation and reimbursement for lost wages after being fired.

After an explosive meeting on May 31 where Rowlay told his employer he hated his job, his boss, and didn't want to be there anymore, the head of the company arranged a proposal for him to leave, a recent authority decision records.

Rowlay, who had his sights set on working at Air New Zealand and did not want to get "stuck doing freight", told the authority he felt bullied at the meeting.

He said his boss was trying to fire him any way he could, especially because he had complained to health and safety authorities about the workplace's "disgusting" toilets and kitchen.

Rodney Giles, the director of Contract Warehousing, said Rowlay made it clear he didn't want to be there.

He said Rowlay "opened a floodgate of personal abuse" at the May meeting, saying he hated his job, hated working for me - in fact I do not recall anything that he said that he did like".

Giles had also learned through another employee that Rowlay was derogatory about him and planned to "get money out of him" by taking him to the labour department.

The director then wrote Rowlay a letter saying he accepted his request to quit and gave him a two-week stand down period.

During that time, Giles offered to pay him for six hours work a day due to Rowlay's back injury.

But Rowlay wrote back saying he wanted a redundancy and hadn't resigned.

The authority found Rowlay was not a credible witness during his hearing.

When it asked him about Giles' evidence that he had wanted to leave, Rowlay denied it, saying he "loved" his job - despite having unsuccessfully applied for a job at Air New Zealand's call centre during his employment.

The authority claimed Rowlay was "entirely responsible" for the events leading to his dismissal and found the warehouse company didn't owe him anything.